The Gulf of Mexico in World War II Spawns A Heartwarming Love Story

 

Who can resist little know facts about submarine activity off the coast of the United States coupled with a love story? I thought I knew a great deal about World War II. Much to my surprise the submarine activity along the Southern states and the Gulf of Mexico was extensive. The facts in the book are amazing. Can you believe that German sailors were mingling with movie goers in New Orleans? The background in this book was exceptionally interesting.

But the war history wasn't the best part. A damaged young woman and an equally damaged enemy sailor find love, turn their lives around, and surprisingly, live happily ever after. But the romance isn't sticky sweet. It portrays the need for forgiveness and has an aspect that makes the best thrillers sell like hotcakes. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't recommend it highly enough for an educational and inspirational read!

As a bonus, I'm giving away a copy of the book, “The Heart Mender." If you leave a comment, I will enter your name in the drawing. I'll announce the winner by Friday, May7, 2010. Check the blog to see if you won!!

Is the End of the World Immanent – 2010 question?

I found this book fascinating. As the author points out, most of the “prophesy” concerning the end of the world in 2012 is based on superstition and faulty logic. However, I did get some new information. In the first place there is increased volcanic activity in the world. This could be exceeding dangerous if one of the super volcanoes, like the one in Yellow Stone National Park, blow. The book also points out that increased volcanic activity could be a by-product of increased solar energy entering out atmosphere. The book was worth reading just to discover these facts.

The question of the world ending in 2012, however, remains unresolved. I seriously doubt it is tied to the end of the Mayan calendar, or any other prophesy, either the I Ching, or the Bible. I do believe that the world will end one day for each of us. Whether it ends in a global cataclysm, or as the result of the natural end of our years on earth, we must behave as Christians and be ready for the eventuality. God will be the final judge of what happens to the world. It is our job to be ready whenever that happens.

The Map: A Christian Thriller

The Map: The Way of All Great Men

Reading this book, I felt I'd stumbled into the men's locker room. I enjoyed the opening. David Murrow starts with a fiction section that reads much like the DaVinci Code. It's predictable and mildly exciting., but it gets the book off to an interesting start. Without the fiction portion, I believe the book would get bogged down with not enough content.

I got out of the mood of the journeys when Murrow claimed them to be an exclusively male province. The purpose of the book is to describe the three journeys of Christ as found in Matthew. The idea is that we start from a journey of submission followed by a journey of strength and ending with a journey of sacrifice. The concept relates well not to just church attendance, but to many aspects of life, particularly where decisions must be made, acted on and the consequences lived with. I found all of this fascinating.

The book concentrates on what it starts out to do: encourage men to become more interested and involved in church. I agree with Murrow that the journeys are beneficial for men, but I could equally see the application to women. The emphasis on masculine and feminine is a fine metaphor but in fact the way he explains them, they refer more to characteristics than physical people. Women are perfectly capable of taking the same journeys as men, and I believe the church would function better if both sexes were encouraged to do so.

I enjoyed the book, but I think the focus is too narrow. The idea can be explained simply. If it were broadened to include a larger population that would benefit from the journeys, I think it would be more interesting.

I reviewed this book as part of Thomas Nelson's Book Sneeze Program.

The Map: A Christian Thriller

The Map: The Way of All Great Men

Reading this book, I felt I'd stumbled into the men's locker room. I enjoyed the opening. David Murrow starts with a fiction section that reads much like the DaVinci Code. It's predictable and mildly exciting., but it gets the book off to an interesting start. Without the fiction portion, I believe the book would get bogged down with not enough content.

I got out of the mood of the journeys when Murrow claimed them to be an exclusively male province. The purpose of the book is to describe the three journeys of Christ as found in Matthew. The idea is that we start from a journey of submission followed by a journey of strength and ending with a journey of sacrifice. The concept relates well not to just church attendance, but to many aspects of life, particularly where decisions must be made, acted on and the consequences lived with. I found all of this fascinating.

The book concentrates on what it starts out to do: encourage men to become more interested and involved in church. I agree with Murrow that the journeys are beneficial for men, but I could equally see the application to women. The emphasis on masculine and feminine is a fine metaphor but in fact the way he explains them, they refer more to characteristics than physical people. Women are perfectly capable of taking the same journeys as men, and I believe the church would function better if both sexes were encouraged to do so.

I enjoyed the book, but I think the focus is too narrow. The idea can be explained simply. If it were broadened to include a larger population that would benefit from the journeys, I think it would be more interesting.

I reviewed this book as part of Thomas Nelson's Book Sneeze Program.

The Psalms in a Modern Context

The psalms have always been one of my favorite parts of the Bible. The feeling of a people living close to nature comes through in this modern translation. I found it quite delightful. Some people might quibble that the translation is not completely true to the sources usually used for biblical translation, but I found that the poetry of the translation gave a good picture of the intention of the psalms.

The book also includes daily reading plans for Advent and Lent. I read the psalms in conjunction with the plans and found the combination useful. The cited Bible verses were not always exactly on point for me in the strict sense of Bible study, but they made me think.

The book itself is beautifully done. It's printed on heavy paper and the pages have a colored background that I found restful. All in all I found the book a good tool for contemplation and Bible study.

I reviewed this book for the Thomas Nelson Book Sneezer Program.

Write with Your Senses Wide Open

I don't have trouble putting down a book. I can do it for an hour, a day, a month, a year, or never pick it up again. Eternal on the Water by Joseph Monninger (available from Simon and Schuster in February) is different. I couldn't put down, not because of the tragic love story, the spunky heroine, or the honorable hero. Monniger's strong sensory images drew me into that world. I felt the fine spray of paddles dipping in the racing river, tasted the first bittersweet sip of hot coffee on a brisk morning, saw sunlight filter though the pines to awaken iridescent colors from a black bird wing.

To show rather than tell, we must use all five senses to draw the reader into the story. I love camping, so the images in Eternal on the Water, appealed to my senses stimulating emotion. Emotion drives the story. The more our senses are awakened to the emotions we once experienced, the more we feel a part of the story. Senses not only connect us to the story, they announce the emotion. Slimy things crawling on the floor hint at something unsavory afoot. Champagne bubbling on the tongue telegraphs happiness and celebration.

Fit the images into the story. Long paragraphs of description are unnecessary. The trick is to pick the exact image to bring the story to life. A shower of sparks erupting from the campfire when a pocket of sap in a pine log bursts, the murmur of the river drifting through the pines, the smell of bacon frying over a campfire on a windy morning, streams of water twisting like dark rope in the current: these images tucked into the movement of the story bring us into the world and make it ours.

David's Story – An Inspiration for Us Today

King David wasn't perfect and yet God loved him. If God loved David, a man of many faults, he can love us, too. I think that sums up the message of Max Lucado's latest book. Such a message gives hope to all of us. David, according to the Bible, faced many giants. He was far from perfect and committed the same sins many of us do yet he was beloved by God. He succeeded because when he faced his trials, he thought about God and asked his help.

Lucado skillfully weaves David's story into the trials of people today. Instead of asking God's help and facing our giants, too many of us run away to easy fixes: affairs, addictions, and over work. David, like many of us, was tempted by these easy fixes, but he called on God to help him. When he didn't, he suffered as we all do. When he did, he succeeded mightily. It's tough to go it alone.

I highly recommend this book for anyone struggling with giants in their life. Remember, if you talk to God and Jesus, you're not alone. You, too, can conquer your giants.